Mechanical refrigerator water cooler



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IIECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR WATER COOLER Filed Oct. 26, 1945 3Sheets-sheeti- REF.

1N VENTOR.

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 OLER Rudolph Yuz'a, Chicago, Ill., assignor to A.Dalkin Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois ApplicationOctober 26, 1945, Serial No. 624,753

This invention relates to certain novelV and useful improvements inmechanical refrigeratorv Water coolers and has for its principal objectthe .provision of a construction of this character which will beeconomical in manufacture, to accomplish the function of quick heattransfer of Warm water to a refrigerant through a multiple of chambers.y

A further and equally important object of the invention is to provide a-vvaterv cooler of the character hereinafter more fully described, which.is capable of adaptation in any one of the wellknown cooling circuits,which circuits are more fully hereinafter referred to.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide 4in a Water cooler ofthe'class hereinafer more .fully referred to, a chamber for receivingliquid refrigerant from'a surroundingchamber for the purpose ofdrying'up the liquid refrigerant before returnto the compressor, thusserving in the same capacity as a drier coil used with a thermo- `staticexpansion valve or an accumulator used with-a high Vside iioatoperation.

Yet another and equally important object of 'the invention is theprovision in a` water cooler of an interiorwater chamber in which agiven amount of cold water is stored and Aserves further as arefrigerant of water-in a surrounding chamber or chambers, with theadditional function of expediting and hastening evaporation and dryingof theliquid refrigerant communicated to the refrigerantdrying-upchamber. In this connection, it is an object to communicate thewater in the -cooler in a manner such as will resultin an air spacebetween the surface of the vwater and the interior of Vthe chambers,thereby providing 'an air cushionfabove the water surface whicheliminates and'dissipates what is' otherwise known as water hammer or"knocks" created by pocketed Water when the dispensing valves areclosed.'

A still further and equally important object of the invention is toprovide in a Water cooler,

' above the water level, air cushions which cooperate with a pressurerelief deviceconnected with the extreme bottom portion of the watercham# Finally, it is an object of the invention to pro- 1 claim. (C1.257-232) fit) vide a cooler in which the refrigerant chambers areconnected in series, with the refrigerant entering the chambers from thebottom and being dischargedfrom the top; also a refrigeratorunit inwhich the Water chambers are likewise connected in serie-s with thewater finding an entrance in the bottom of the chambers and having exitfrom the top portion thereof, thereby providing in each instance (thatthrough the refrigerant chambers and the Water chambers) denite,positive circulation of water and refrigerant and thus eliminatingpossibility of stagnant Iwater in the water chambers and of oil loggingin the refrigerant passages.A The arrangement also maintaining thepassages .as` fully flooded as is possible with liquid refrigerant. Inthis type of cooler, it is desirable, and is :an1object of theinvention, to providethe water flow in the opposite direction totherefrigerant, flow.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel'combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed;

The invention will be best understoodby refl erence to the accompanyingdrawings showing the preferred form of constructiom andrin which: l l

Fig. 1 is a Vertical sectional detail view of. the

lrefrigerating unit embodied in the invention taken substantially online I-I of Fig. 3; 1

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional detail view ofvthe same takensubstantially on line ,2-2 of Fig. 3;

Venclosure Il providing a drier chamber l2 having communication at theupper end portion with aY return branch |73 leading to the compressorI4. In this chamber Vthere is projected a -well I5 having communicationfrom the bottom I1 thereof with the chamber l2. In this well is arrangedwhat is known as a temperature feeler bulb supu port I6 into which thefeeler bulb (not shown) of a well-known construction may bev arranged,when the circuit with which my unit is employed requires the use ofaltemperature feeler bulb. This feeler bulb is usually confined in abody of petroleum jelly, it being found necessary tol so employpetroleum jelly to prevent freezing of the matter in which thefeelerbulbis confined. 'When relief valve 43.

the feeler bulb is not employed in the circuit, then the Well I5 isfilled with the petroleum jelly for protective purposes.

The enclosure II projects into a water cooler or storage tank I8, fromthe concave-convex bottom I9 of which is supported, as at 20, theenclosure II. This storage tank I3 is surrounded by an enclosure 2lIproviding, together with the storage tank I8, a compartment 22.Communicating with the top 23 of this compartment or chamber 22 is anexit 24, the limb 25 of which projects into a chamber 26 provided by anenclosure 21. The refrigerant supply pipe is indicated at 28 andcommunicates through an extension pipe 29 with the bottom portion of thechamber 22. Between the chambers 22 and 2B, there is provided a chamber30, to the upper portion of which there communicates a pipe 3l likewisehaving an extension 32 extending to a position adjacent the bottom I9 ofthe storage tank I8. An exit .pipe is indicated at 33 and hascommunication with the upper portion of the storage tank I8.

Surrounding the chamber 26 is an enclosure 34 which vprovides a chamber35 in communication 'from its upper end portion with the lower portionof the chamber 30 through a communicating vpipe 36. An outer shell 31provides a chamber 38 which has communication with the upper por- -tionof the feeler bulb support I 6 by a conduit 39.

Opening communication between the bottom por- Vtion of the chamber 38and the upper portion of 'the chamber 26, is a communicating pipe 49.

`Communicating with the storage tank I8 at the bottom thereof, is aT-shaped passage 4I, a

branch pipe 42 from which has `communication with a relief valve 43. Thewater supply pipe i4 has communication with the lower end portion of:the chamber 35, and leading from this pipe 44 is. a branch pipe 45Vwhich communicates with the This relief valve 43 may be of any approvedconstruction wherein there is pro- -vided an enclosure 46 for thehousing of a suitlable material such 'as will .permit the seepagetherethrough, under pressure, of water through 'the pipes 42 and 45 aswell as through the bypass pipe 48 communicating with the lower portionof the chamber 39.

A suitable valve head is indicated at 49, and this valve head provides aresilient valve 53 which Ynormally closes passage from the enclosure46,.

the valve head 5B being guided in its movement by a stem 5I and movableagainst the action of a spring 52.

The refrigerant is admitted to the bottom portion of the chamber 22through the pipe 29 from whence it flows from the top portion thereofAthrough the pipe 24 leading to the lower portion of'the chamber 2E.refrigerant ows from the upper portion thereof From this chamber l the"sor`53 operated by a suitable motor 54.

The Water finds admission into the unit through the pipe 44 into thelower portion of the 'chamber'35,`from whence itflows from the uppervportion thereof through the pipe 36, where it nis admitted into thelower portion of the chamber and taken out from the upper portion ofthis latter-chamber by the pipe 32 for passage into the storage tank I3at a point from the Vbottom portion thereof. From this description, itis apparent that the several water chambers, as well as the severalrefrigerant chambers, are connected in series and that the refrigerantis admitted to the refrigerant chambers at the lower portion of thesevarious chambers and finds exit from the upper portions thereof;likewise that the water finds entrance into the water chambers at thelower portions of these several chambers and finds exit from the upperportions thereof. The storage tank being surrounded by the refrigerantchambers and the refrigerant chambers being surroundedby the severalwater chambers, it is obvious that it requires less refrigeration tomaintain a supply of cold water in the storage chamber, thus resultingin a plentiful supply of cold water for rapid dispensing thereof.

It will be noted from the description herein that the pipes entering thevarious water chambers at the upper end portions thereof, extend asubstantial distanceinto these chambers, thereby to maintain a constantwater level, a water level which is spaced from the top walls of thesevarious water chambers. The space 32 between the water level and the topwall of these 'Water chambers constitutes an air pocket providing an aircushion which dissipates hammer knocks resulting when the dispensingvalves are manipulated, particularly when closed.

These spaces 32 also serve to compensate for expansion of the Water inthe event of defect in the system resulting in water freezing and, withthe cooperation of the relief valve,'rupture or damage to the unit isreduced to a minimum by virtue of the relief of pressure within `thewater chambers by the relief valve in the event of a freeze-up. Like`air-traps 33 for a like purpose are provided at the bends of the pipes32 and 36.

My improved cooler is capable of being incorporated in any of thestandard circuits, two of which have been shown in Figs. 4 and'. In thecircuit shown in Fig. 4,`which I term a self-contained circuit, thiscircuit includes, in addition to the cooler In and compressor 53, a lowpressure control 54 Vand a high Vside iioat 55,both of which are of awell-known standard construction and their functions well-known in theart.

In the circuit shown in Fig. 5, there is substituted for the high sidefloat included in the circuit shown in Fig. 4, a thermostatic expansionvalve 55 having communication through a conduit 5l with the feeler bulbI 6.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided acooling unit which is capable of accomplishing all the objectshereinbefore recited and one which may be manufactured in a practicalmanner and at an economical cost, the characteristics of theconstruction of the cooler resulting in one which requires the minimumdegree of attention while'being capable of supplying a constant now ofcold water.

The construction of the unit as hereinbefore described, results in aunit having a Vplurality of upright, substantially cylindrical wallsarranged one within the other and spaced apart to provide chambersproviding two circulating paths, one enveloped within the other. for thecirculation of the refrigerant and the water, and in which relation ofthe circulating paths quick `refrigeration results, with an adequatestorage -of `coldwater at all times.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, thisis capable ofvariation and modification Without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do notWish to be limited to the precise detailsof construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variationsand modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claim. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

A cooling unit comprising a plurality of upright substantiallycylindrical Walls mounted one within the other in substantiallyconcentric relation and spaced apart to provide a plurality of chambersproviding two separate circulatory paths, conduit means connecting thechambers of one of said paths in communication with each other for theflow of fluid from the upper portions of the chambers providing said oneof said paths to the lower portions thereof, said conduit meanscomprising conduits each formed substantially U-shaped to provide limbportions one of which being shorter than the other and extending intothe upper portion of its respective chamber of said chambers of said onepath and the other terminating short of the bottom of its respectivechamber of said chambers of said one path, the

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 779,498 Pfeiff Jan. 10, 19051,293,017 Broche Feb. 4, 1919 1,340,266 Hildebrand May 18, 19201,633,990 Jones June 28, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 877Great Britain Apr. 8, 1884 408,406 Germany Jan. 17, 1925

